Apparatus for burning gas



c. K. HARmNG. APPARATUS FOR BURNING GAS.

-APPLlcATloN FILED DEC.21, 19m.

Patented May 20, 1919.

O0 %\OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO oooood bb ooooooooo ooooo ooo op I?? Varzi-07 kss UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrion CHARLES KNOX HARDING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR BURNING GAS.

To all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, CHARLES KNOXV HAR- DING,-a citizen of theUnited States, residing in Woodlawn, city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and lState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Burning Gas, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for burning gas,rand one of the o jects of the same is to provide an improved structure for producing flameless combustion, preferably by means of a diaphragm constructed of catalytic material, for intercepting the flame to localize the flame of burning gaseous mixture at one side thereof, with the result that they chemical energy ofthe gaseous fiuid will be largely converted into radiant energy, the diaphragm receiving and radiating part of the heat liberated, enables a higher intensity to be obtained and applied, than would be the ycase where the combustion or oxidation takes place between the gaseous elements themselves in the form of a flame, and with the further result that the flashing back to the point of mixture will be obviated, by reducing the inflammability of the gas mixture by its partial combustion in contactwith the oxidizing-non-igniting catalytic material before it reaches the flame.

I have discovered that a suitable and inexpensive catalytic diaphragm consists of a structure containing the oxids of the radio active elements thorium and uranium, and

that such a flame intercepting diaphragm, constructed of any suitable catalytic material, such as the structure described in my United States Patent No. 1,067 ,983, issued July 22, 1913, will produce and maintain flameless combustion when sufficiently heated, inasmuch as the diaphragm becomes incandescent through contact combustion of part of the combustible gaseous mixture an gives off heat without flame.

I have discovered that a flame intercepting diaphragm to be most eiiective should be made of material which will produce flameless combustion, and will burn up or oxidize part of the combustible or explosive mixture passing through it by contact or catalytic combustion absolutely without flame.y Any suitable catalytic material known to those skilled in the art may be employed, that will produce and maintain catalytic combustion. Colloidal palladium' lwill cause catalytic Patented May 2o, 1919.

combustion ofv mixtures containing hydrogen and oxygen at a temperature of 40 degrees below zero; the other metals of the platinum group require higher temperatures to initially bring them into action. In my Haine intercepting diaphragm it is only necessary that the ameless combustion becomes established before the passages get heated up to the igniting point of the mixture.` v

The diaphragmsbeing perforated, the cur,- rent of gaseous mixture passes therethrough, and when the gas is rst ignited on the outlet side of the diaphragm, will burn in small jets of :flame until the diaphragm is suiiiciently heated, and afterlbeing, heated, when the iiowing current. of gaseous mixture passes into contact with the diaphragm and through the perforations therethrough, a portion of the mixture will be consumed by flameless combustion. y

In the drawing there is shown one form of burner in the adaptation of my invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of one form of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view'taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1..

` Fig.V 3 is a top plan view of a diaphragm constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention. i

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of asupport for the flame intercepting diaphragm.

The flame intercepting diaphragm 5l is constructed of catalytic material, such as platinized earthen ware, and is preferably provided with perforations 6 therethrough, and in the form of the invention shown, this diaphragm 5 constitutes a portion of the wall of a gas passage or receiving chamber 7a in a burner element 7, to form an outlet for a combustible gaseous mixture, and the diaphragm may be held in position by a suitable support 8 detachably connected withV the element This passage or chamber 7 l is provided with an inlet 9, and connected with the element 7 is a suitable handle 10 suitably insulated therefrom *byr insulating material 11. This entire structure is adapted to be in! serted within an element 12, which latter is lto be heated, and isl removably held in position in any suitable manner such as by means of a projection 13 entering a socket 1.4 in one wall of the element 12`and an adjusting screw 15, the end of which enters a suitable socket p16 in another wall of the passage or chamber 7 a.

The combustible gaseous mixture issupplied by means of a jet 17, connected with any suitable source of supply as at 18, and the openings 19 admit the necessary amount of air to produce stoichi-o-metrical proportions, and this mixture passes to the diaphragm 5 and through the perforations 6 thereof.

These perforations in the diaphragm 5 preferably diverge or increase in size from the entrance side of the diaphragm and this serves the purpose of confining and directing the flowing current of the mixture while being heated,l so that the increased volume or energy of the mixture will increase the forward velocity of the flowing current 'of the mixture, `while at the same time the flame of the mixture will be localized on one side of the diaphragm.

To start the burner element, it is removed from the element 12,. and the gaseous mixture is admitted into the passage. The gaseous mixture passing through the perforations 6, is then ignited"A adjacent the exposed face of the diaphragm, and the mixture will at first burn in small jets of flame until the diaphragm becomes heated With a diaphragm constructed of any ordinary material not having catalytic properties, the fiame would propagate back through the heated diaphragm to the point ofi` mixture, but upon heating this improved diaphragm to incandescence a portion of the flowing current of the gaseous mixture passing into contact therewith and through the perforations, will be consumed by flameless combustion andy also have its velocity increased sufficiently to prevent flashing back. of the flame.

The burner element is then placed within the element 12, and it will be manifest that the radiation of the heat from this diaphragm, from the consumption of the gaseous fluid, will be effectively distributed to the element 12.

This element 12 is preferably provided with apertures 20, so that the products of combustion will pass therethrough.

While there has beenv shown and described one adaptation of the invention, it is to be understood that a similar diaphragm may be employed in many ways, and therefor the drawing herewith submitted is to be considered as being merely diagrammatic.

In the claims, the term oxidizing nonigniting catalytic agent means a catalytic agent that will induce oxidization of the gases, producing catalytic flameless combustion.

What is claimed as new is:

1. An apparatus for burning highly inflammable gaseousmixtures with a flame comprising the combination of a mixing chamber, means for passing a combustible mixture of gas and air therethrough, and a flame intercepting diaphragm for localizing sufficiently.

the flame of burning gaseous mixture at one side thereof, and outside the mixing chamber, said diaphragm having preformed perforations extending therethrough from side to side for free passage of the mixture and constructed of refractory material comprising such catalytic substance distributed throughout its mass as will produce flameless contact combustion of that portion of the mixture coming in contact with the sides of the passageways.

2. An apparatus for burning highly infiammable gaseous mixtures with a flame comprising the combination of a mixing chamber, means for passing a combustible mixturel of gas and air therethrough,` and a flame intercepting diaphragm for localizing the flame of burning gaseous mixture at one side thereof, said diaphragm having preformed perforations extending.therethrough from side to side for freeppassa-ge of the mixture and constructed of refractory material comprising` such catalytic substance distributed throughout its mass as will produce flameless` contact combustion of that portion of the mixture coming in contact with the sides of the passageways.

3. An apparatus for burning highly inflammable gaseous mixtures with a flame comprising the combination of a mixing chamber,l means for passing a combustible mixture of gas and air therethrough and a flame intercepting diaphragm for localizing the flame of burning gaseous mixture at one side thereof, and `outside of the mixing chamber, said diaphragm having preformed perforations diverging in size from the entrance Side of the same, and' extending therethrough from side to side for free passage ofthe mixturey and constructed of refractory materialcomprising such catalytic substance distributed throughout its mass as will produce amelesS-contact combustion of that portion of the mixture coming in contact with the sides of the passageways..

4. An apparatus for burning` highly inflammable gaseous mixtures with a flame comprising the combination of a mixing chamber, means for passing a combustible mixture ofgag and air therethrough and a flame intercepting; diaphragm for localizing the llame of burning gaseous mixture at one side thereof, said diaphragm having preformed perforationsl diverging in size from the entrance side of the same, and extending therethrough from side to side for free passage of the mixtureand constructed of.- refractory. material comprisingA such catalytic substance distributed. throughout its mass as will produce flameless contactcombustion of that portion of the mixture coming in` contact with the sides of the passageways;

5. An apparatus for burningi highlyI inflammable gaseous mixture. with a iiame .comprising the combinationk of a mixing chamber, means for passing a combustible mixture of gas and air therethrough and a flame intercepting diaphragm for localizing the flame'of burning gaseous mixtures at one side thereof, said diaphragm having preformed perforations extending therethrough from side to side for free passage of the mixture and constructed of refractory material comprising such radio-active catalytic substance distributed throughout its mass as Will produce ameless contact combustion of that portion of the mixture coming in contact with the sides of the passageways.

6. An apparatus for burning highly iniammable gaseous mixtures With a flame comprising the combination of a mixing chamber, means for passing a combustible mixture of gas and air therethrough and a Hame intercepting diaphragm for localizing the flame 'of burnin@ gaseous mixture at one side thereof, said diaphragm having preformed perforations extending therethrough from side to side for free passage of the mixture and constructed of catalytic refractory material comprising thorium and uranium compounds distributed throughout its mass producing ameless contact combustion of that portion of the mixture coming in contact with the sides of the passage- Ways.

7 An apparatus for burning highly inflammable gaseous mixtures With a flame comprising the combination of a `mixing chamber, means for passing a combustible mixture of gas and air therethrough and aflame intercepting diaphragm for localizing the flame of burning gaseous mixture at one side thereof, said diaphragm having preformed perforations diverging in size from the entrance side of the same and extending therethrough and from side to side for free passage of the mixture and constructed of catalytic material comprising thorium and uranium compounds distributed throughout its mass producing flameless contact combustion of that portion of the mixture coming in contact With the sides of the passageways.

8. A flame-intercepting diaphragm consisting of a perforated diaphragm containing Within its mass an oxidizing non-igniting radio-active catalytic material, the perforations increasing in diameter from the inlet to the outlet thereof.

9. A ame-intercepting diaphragm con sisting of a perforated diaphragm containing Within its mass a catalytic material, said catalytic material containing thorium and uranium compounds, the perforations increasing in diameter from the inlet to the outlet thereof.

In testimony Whereof I have signed my name to this specification, this 17th day of December, 1914, in the presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES KNOX HARDING.

Witnesses:

IRMA M. BARiNG, J. I-I. JOCHUM, Jr.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

